The Bosch universe continues to build out its 90s-set prequel as ‘Bosch: Start Of Watch’ adds two more key names to the cast, with Ariana Guerra (CSI: Vegas, Helstrom) joining as a series regular and JD Pardo (Mayans M.C., The Terminal List, High Potential) boarding in a recurring role.
Set in 1991 Los Angeles, the MGM+ drama follows 26-year-old Harry Bosch, played by Cameron Monaghan (Shameless US, Gotham), during his earliest days as a rookie cop. The series explores a city on the edge, defined by racial tension, gang violence and a fractured LAPD. Amid routine patrols and rising unrest, Bosch is pulled into a high-profile heist and a web of criminal corruption that will test his loyalty to the badge and help shape the detective who lives by the code, “Everybody counts or nobody counts.”
Omari Hardwick (Power) co-stars as Eli Bridges, Bosch’s training officer, a character created specifically for the prequel.
Guerra will play Rosa, a fellow rookie officer and native Angeleno who brings maturity and street smarts to the job. Raised in the same neighbourhoods she now patrols, Rosa represents a new generation of cops in a post-Rodney King city. Beneath her confidence lies deep insecurity shaped by a young pregnancy, a failed first career and the pressure of providing for her child. During her probationary year, a budding romance with Bosch threatens her credibility, forcing her to prove she can finish what she starts.
Pardo, meanwhile, takes on the role of Cory, a disciplined and highly intelligent professional thief whose calm precision was forged in the foster system. Raised alongside his younger surrogate brother Bosch, Cory developed fierce loyalty to the family he chose. Confident and methodical, he acts as provider and protector, with every job bringing him closer to mastering the chaos that shaped him and carving out a way beyond Los Angeles.
Interestingly, there is no direct source material for the prequel. While author Michael Connelly’s Bosch novels span decades of the character’s life, they never tackled his rookie years in full. The story draws from fragments of backstory planted across the wider universe, with Connelly previously describing the series as exploring “uncharted character territory.”
The show is produced by Fabel Entertainment and co-created by Tom Bernardo and Brian Anthony, with Bernardo also serving as showrunner. Connelly, Henrik Bastin, Jamie Boscardin Martin and Jasmine Russ executive produce, alongside Theresa Snider for Hieronymus Pictures.
‘Bosch: Start Of Watch’ does not yet have a premiere date but will air on MGM+ in the US and UK. If you want to keep track of this or any other shows, you can add them via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when it gets a UK premiere date. Visit Never Miss.
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